


Fight Strong

by Herbertholder



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Bloodhound Needs a Hug (Apex Legends), Bloodhound-centric (Apex Legends), Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:08:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25229623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Herbertholder/pseuds/Herbertholder
Summary: Bloodhound enjoyed Elliott's presence, they were more than used to being alone. The jokes, the flirtatious battering, the small moments where his body scraped across their suit. Warm and calming, with fire that burnt deep and a fearless mask that Bloodhound envied regardless of the sincerity behind. He was sweet, and Bloodhound liked that in a person, he was someone that they could let their guard down around.[Developing relationships, what happens when you have to fight the person you enjoy being around the most?]
Relationships: Bloodhound/Mirage | Elliott Witt
Kudos: 52





	Fight Strong

**Author's Note:**

> The beginning is bad, I apologize, I swear it gets better! Slow, I hope you enjoy.

"What do you think, Bloodhound? Enjoy a bit of sparring once in a while?"

"I do not revel in unnecessary conflicts," Bloodhound stopped to clear their voice. "However, it is vital for a fighter to train."

"Ah, gotcha, I knew you were a good kid." Bloodhound didn't understand that, how could someone be good or bad? Surely, even bad had some good in them and surely, not every human could sustain a perfect life while staying completely harmless to their surroundings. They also didn't understand why he would call them a kid, they were both about the same age. 

Regardless, Bloodhound enjoyed his presence, they were more than used to being alone. The jokes, the flirtatious battering, the small moments where his body scraped across their suit. Warm and calming, with fire that burnt deep and a fearless mask that Bloodhound envied regardless of the sincerity behind. He was sweet, and Bloodhound liked that in a person, he was someone that they could let their guard down around.

"Alright, I'll change your mind!" Elliott smiled with great might in his shoulders and torso.

  
  


"May the gods be with you on such a task," Bloodhound would rarely try sarcasm, it was the thin line they crossed between seriousness and humor, but they were inexperienced. It was never taught to them as a child, only to be nice and to tell the truth, they had learnt it from the other contestants. Bloodhound enjoyed the expressions that others struck when they pulled out their hidden talent of sarcastic remarks.

Such as now, Elliott tried to hide his small amount of childish wonder.

"Well, well, looks like someone's finally learnt some of my tricks."

Bloodhound let out two Huffs, a laugh, Elliott grinned behind them. 

  
  


-

  
  


"I told you I would, right? Would I ever break a promise?" It was not a promise, he had never promised anything to Bloodhound. They stood in the centre of the training grounds, sand beneath their shoes. 

They wore their official getups, the ones that were on the billboards and gifts. Artur had joined them, flying around the mannequins of the grounds.

Bloodhound stood uncomfortably, this sense of nostalgia that sent them back to the sparring sessions in Talos. Grunts and sweaty people, they would fight on the dirt which would stick to their skin, everyone would share bets, whoever won would be hosted as the head of the following feast. Here they both stood, this was no simulation, they could hear the others breathing and could see the silky sweat run down his neck, fading into the cotton of his undershirt. Bloodhound moved to a combat position, Mirage followed with his own version. They exchanged swift blows, Bloodhound took one to the stomach, but Elliott took one to the neck and fell to the ground. Stopping with heavy Huffs, Bloodhound offered their aid, a hand to help him get up and Elliott smoothly took on the offer and exchanged their positions.

Bloodhound let out a systematic exhale when their body hit the ground, their back would probably bruise.

"Smart move, warrior, but others may not come to your aid in the future." It was true, many victorious in the courts of the arena were merciless and lacked respect. If you were down, you would be dead not long afterwards. Tough, fight while strong, kneel when defeated. Bloodhound never knew if they could say the same for Elliott, they were yet to face the man in combat to the death. He smiled and laughed that deep and heavy laugh of his, before mirroring the actions that Bloodhound had done not moments before. They were back on their feet, the two of them sparred longer, until the gods had fully risen alongside the bright sun and their energy was depleted.

"Good work, I expected nothing less." Artur flew to rest on their arm.

"I know, people tell me that a lot." 

Elliott flipped the side-quiff out of his eyes, as though still trying to charm Bloodhound. They couldn't deny that it was working.

They both drank the remainders of their water, leaving the yellow fields through Giant steel doors.

  
  


-

  
  


The winds outside whistled through leaves on trees, the allfather was happy, rain dripped down in a pleasant amount. Elliott ran faster than Bloodhound, but he was breathing heavily and they were not. They wore a usual getup, in deep blues, their sleeves rolled up to reveal muscles and chemical scars. Elliott wore a tight orange shirt and Cargo pants that clashed, Bloodhound had no place to comment, his stomach muscles visible and rain merged with the sweat on his forehead. He was certainly more attractive when he was distracted, with burning red cheeks, tamed hair, Bloodhound's heart pumped quickly and blood rushed to warm their masked face.

They grabbed his shoulder and watched his face brighten back up, straight pearl teeth shining through a smile. Warmth, he was very warm.

"Rest, you have done plenty."

They found shelter, a court beneath an abandoned building. Elliott's breathing calmed down, he shared jokes about the weather, Bloodhound cuffed their chin and hummed. 

It was warm, but the rain got heavier every moment. Instead of soft drops that trickled down their clothes, it streamed down and hit the pavements with loud force.

"Let's uh- get something to eat. I'll call someone to come n' get us, hang on." Bloodhound nodded. Elliott pulled a phone out of his pocket, it had stickers of himself on it that Bloodhound found humorous in many ways. 

_ Yeah, no, it's gotten really heavy. Come on! You owe me, literally, I like, totally saved you last time. _

Another competitor, a low voice that they could barely recognise. He pleaded for a couple of minutes until the person on the line audibly groaned and gave in. Bloodhound smiled beneath their mask, what a charm, they weren't far from their estate and it took only a couple of minutes for a sleek black car to arrive.

It was Wraith, Renee Blasey, Bloodhound should have known.

She was a strong competitor, a great teammate that had bonded with them through the same quiet and mysterious personality. She only ever spoke to them outside of their matches when they both met on errands after dark. She had strict orders, but targeted her fake hate towards Elliott,  _ don't get it wet  _ and  _ I'm dropping you off at the mall _ . She offered Bloodhound a small smile as some sort of apology.

Bloodhound found the relationship between their two comrades to be a blessing, not a burden.

  
  


They got to a run-down store center not long after, she parted ways from them and headed towards a different set of underground buildings. Bloodhound didn't recognize this place, they never ventured across the roads of towns on foreign planets. Instead, they would stay in the building that everyone shared and travel the vast forests.

"We have two options," Elliott looked around in search of a food court, there was none. "Forget that, we have  _ one  _ option." Bloodhound laughed airily at his minor mistake, he looked back and scolded them for laughing. 

They entered the only restaurant that was open, it was old and seemed to serve an array of dishes from different planets. Mirage Flirted with the Waitress, who was a big fan of his presence in the Apex Games but didn't seem to recognise Bloodhound. He ordered a sweet tea and some sort of steak, Bloodhound took a strong coffee.

Mirage offered a quick  _ thanks _ to the waitress, she ran back into the kitchen and Bloodhound could hear squealing, they exchanged looks of acknowledgement. Their acquaintance enjoyed his meal, Bloodhound wouldn't deny that it looked somewhat good but they also wouldn't intrude or put themselves in a situation of meal-sharing. Elliott seemed to be aware, they could feel him watching, he could probably feel them as well, it was good to know that he wouldn't share  _ as  _ many jokes as he usually did in the presence of their other teammates. 

"How's your coffee?"

"Fine." Bloodhound hated their lack of conversation skills, they would usually eat by themselves, but Elliott seemed to make up for it with his extroverted personality. Sharing jokes and making faces that turned Bloodhound's stomach to a messy mush, they were sure that if he could use his holographic powers outside, he would.

They finished quickly, the rain had stopped, they walked home together.

  
  


-

  
  


Bloodhound was reading. They could hear shouting in the hall, they wouldn't get involved unless there was a request for their presence. It sounded to be Alexander and Renee, but they could also hear distress from Paquette and comments here and there from others. 

"No! There's no way you can just kick me out of this!" Bloodhound looked up, unamused. It was Elliott, he was shrugging at Renee in the doorway. She seemed angry, understandable, this was none of Bloodhound's business, they could bet it wasn't his either.

They tried to ignore when she met their gaze, silky white eyes requesting backup. They sighed, eventually succumbing to the pressure.

"Elliott," They called out to Elliott and patted the pillow beside them.

"Oh, Bloodhound, didn't notice you were back there. Damn," He scratched his head, turned back to Blasey and muttered something on the lines of  _ i won't forget about this, next time I'm not helping you at all. _ It sounded like more of a request and less of a threat, but he seemed to take it half seriously, whether he meant it jokingly or not. 

He sat next to Bloodhound, who moved an inch away when their thighs brushed against each other. Mirage watched them with a dopey smile on his face.

"Don't you wanna know what happened?"

"Not really,"

"Well,  _ I _ bet they wouldn't like it if I told you  _ anyway.  _ What're you reading?"

"Nothing." He was still curious, Bloodhound could tell because he was trying to read the title. If he had trouble reading English, they wondered how hard it would be for him to read in another language completely. 

"Es- asque- what the hell? Is that even  _ in  _ English?" They never said it was, Bloodhound hummed beneath their mask, They would feel bad for laughing.

"Eskipre Mobié, it is not."

Elliott pulled a sour expression, but it was obviously intended to be humorous. He turned back with a grunt, played with his hair and turned the television in front of them on. Bloodhound shut their book, they considered it disrespectful to read in the presence of another. 

"What will you watch?" Just  _ any _ sort of communication, that was the key. Their head turned a bit, their body relaxed quietly as their back leaned towards the frame of the couch. Elliott shrugged, said something that Bloodhound couldn't quite hear, made a joke about something else. "I must sleep,"

"Oh, alright. Better think of me when you wake up." They laughed and couldn't notice their hand in time to stop it from stroking his hair like they would Artur's. He seemed unphased 

"Goodnight." Bloodhound didn't look back, they could think about it again tomorrow. He was right.

  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  


The season was in, after four months of tame sparring between teammates, they were to fight until only one team was left. Bloodhound bit at their bottom lip anxiously, this was nothing out of the ordinary, but something seemed  _ bad _ . The billboards rose, they were on a team with Bangalore and Revenant.

Bangalore was professional, Revenant had been blessed with sharp aim and a thin figure to compensate for his morality. Bloodhound's teammates were good, that was out of the question, they were all champions. However, Bloodhound had fought with one particular person and now they would fight on opposite sides of a battle.

Bloodhound hoped for something completely out of their control, just to evade  _ one _ team. Their hands were in tight fists.

Team Bangalore -13 landed in Water Treatment and killed a full team, nobody got knocked down. They found their way to Salvage, through well-traveled fields, Bangalore made small talk about new map changes that had come with the new Season and Revenant replied with grunts and dark remarks.

It was definitely one of the more neutral teams, no members that would draw attention through jokes and fanservice; Revenant could be terrible, but there was nothing in this environment to Anger him more than usual. Bunker was a popular site, they could hear gunshots and notice recent footsteps, so the team circled around Market. The ring seemed to be closing in on Capacitor, a quiet game, but the anticipation for more of a fight made Bloodhound stressed.

Sounds from shoes, it smelt like blood, Bloodhound scanned their surroundings with the help of the Allfather. Seven hostiles, three teams- no, two, someone had died. Revenant circled around the building, Bloodhound called upon their given Faith, everything went red.

There was one team left in their area, three left until they would win.

Bloodhound looked up, it was Mirage. They shared a glance, one that he could probably feel from behind their mask, hesitation. Elliotts prideful smile wavered. Gunshots fired, the sounds of shotguns and quips from spectators, so much noise.

Bloodhound felt a sting, they fell to the ground, how foolish. This was why they had tried so hard to avoid friendships, they could hear the scolding on the other team, it seemed that the two of them had felt the same way. This was no outcome of Team Lifeline -17, they were being flanked by Another.

Bloodhound could only lay on the floor, clutching their bloodied chest. It hurt, but not in the same sense that it usually did, compressing in and out and making Bloodhound feel intense pain that was nearly wrenching in search of tears.

"Get ahold of yourself Ranger! this is no time to be fooling around." Bloodhound was lifted back into the fight by Bangalore, they lost, Bloodhound could still feel the pain even when they awoke in the ship. 

Team Wraith -4, containing Wraith, Gibraltar and Octane had won. Bloodhound had lost to Wattson, from team -9.

  
  


-

  
  


It was dark when they awoke, the Flycraft seared in the air. They could hear talking in the lounge, Bloodhound lay in the infirmary alongside a sleeping Renee Blasey, feeling light when they stood up. 

  
  


"And I was like, pow pow, and they died to the ring? Hurry up and get in Amigo, I want to fight!" Bloodhound took a seat at the edge of the room, on a chair near a table, nobody noticed them. They spectated quietly, Octavio spoke of the events, how he gunned down the last team with the help of Wraith, he leaned on the edge of the couch and motioned Explosions with his hands.

Elliott emerged with a towel around his neck, damp hair that looked soft and fluffy, his beard was well-shaped and clean from bloodstains. He wore a revealing white shirt with a v-neck and loose denims, all attention in the room shifted to him when he appeared.

"Elliott! I'm so sorry, it must have hurt!" Natalie cupped his hands in hers, she seemed sincere. She would always do this, ruthless on the battlefield, she was young and would apologize to anyone she harmed. He shook his head, tutted.

"You stole my kills, Wattson, ah you're so cute, I can't stay mad at you." He smiled and teased, she let go of his hands,  _ 'call me Natalie, please!' _ Bloodhound felt something deep inside of their stomach, Envy. Mirage noticed them in the back of the room, eyes fixating on small details, Bloodhound felt uncomfortable under that gaze, now they were the highlight in this room.

He cuffed his arm around Bloodhound's shoulder, when did he get so close? they could smell his aftershave. He felt homely.

"What about this guy? You killed them as well. I mean, y-ya Saved me in the process, but hah," he pushed a hand through his beard. Natalie struck them a sympathetic look. She cuffed their hands, much like she did to Elliott, and apologised.

"You fought strong, you have nothing to apologize for." She had, with seven kills, the kill leader until the very moment she died. Securing second placement in the match, her team had been a good one. 

The room sang praises to Wattson, to the point where Octavio demanded it go back to him with a sarcastic punch. Renee appeared to tell the competitors to keep it down, but was scolded for taking her Win so lightly.

Bloodhound hadn't noticed Elliott taking his leave, not until he patted their shoulder as a sign to his departure.

"We all know who the  _ real _ champion in this room is," he ducked when Silva threw an empty can in his direction. Bloodhound could hear his laughter disappearing down the corridors.

  
  


-

  
  


Team Bloodhound -5 swept in at an opening, two teams were already fighting. The group, made up of Bloodhound, Caustic and Pathfinder had placed eighth, not a proud moment. It was an average game, they had landed in the labs alongside three other teams. Geared up, with four kills beneath their belt, they made it to The Cage. Bloodhound and Caustic fought delicately, they had told him numerous times that it was dangerous, and he had declined. Pathfinder was neutral, he had no opinions.

They had gotten there safely, Nox Layed down traps. A team flanked, it was Team Wattson -1, while they fought, another one came, team -12, Loba. Bloodhound was shot by Bangalore -1, Caustic had perished to a Trap by Wattson, the events had happened so quickly.

Bloodhound arose before the tournament was over, with residual pain in their forehead from the last bullet that had been received. They woke up next to Elliott, when had he fallen? Was he waiting?

  
  


"You look good when you sleep, I mean, not as good as me- but still  _ pretty _ good." Elliott shrugged, shining smile where it belonged. Bloodhound panicked, they were wearing their mask, right? Fingers raised to their face in search of proof, they sighed when their gloved digits enveloped the dangling charms of the Cover. They ignored his comment, although it made them feel good, burning sensations deep inside.

"When did you fall, felagi?" Not embarrassment, although his face did look sheepish in some way. He still smiled.

"I was one of the first to go, what can I say, ah." He laughed, Bloodhound enjoyed the depth of his voice.

"Don't worry, you shall do better next time." Bloodhound put a hand on his chest as a sign of hope, taught to them by ancestors. It felt warm, they could feel his heartbeat, could feel his lungs rising and falling rhythmically, they removed it quickly. Elliott stood up, something  _ more _ glinting in his eyes, he was called for an interview.

  
  
  


-

Today would be a good day, was what Bloodhound would want to think. Up against 30 teams, today was an occasion, it was the time of the Duo's. This all mattered on who Bloodhound was with, they sat in the ships lounge, everybody anticipated the boards.

"Mon Ange, look!" They were up, Wattson was happy, she and Wraith had been teamed up. Bloodhound found their name, they were no Jump-master, team 21, Mirage. Bloodhound cuffed the knife that they had been Sharpening across a Flint rock,  _ thank the Allfather _ . 

"Look who you're with! Whoah, so lucky, I know." Elliott moved close to Bloodhound, friendly as ever, humble as ever, Bloodhound hummed in acknowledgement and Mirage seemed excited by it. They wished he wasn't close enough that they could feel him against their back, uncomfortable, his breath smelt fresh. He wore a silver Getup, small jokes drawn into his sleeves and gloves, tight, something that Bloodhound would never wear, he looked good.

The room rose, getting loud from teammates planning out routes in the spare minutes before everyone would be down in the arena, they had nothing to discuss. 

  
  
  


"What about there! I mean," he stumbled, Bloodhound watched him struggle. He was pointing at a location near to the Airbase, not far off from a Hotspot. "they probably should've made you the Leader, whatever you want is cool too, I'm just.. saying, shit, damn," he pushed his hair back.

"That's fine." Bloodhound wondered if he was observant enough to feel the gaze that constantly watched him, if so, would he tell them to stop? Would he be comfortable with it? They dropped, he seemed to enjoy the breeze against his face, Bloodhound felt free.

They landed quickly, alongside three other squads, Bloodhound had picked up a Light Gun and shield, Elliott struggled between two that were already fighting.

"This is not the time for a fight, let them, we will have another chance." He listened to them, ran, they got out of there unscaved. Mirage made small talk, Bloodhound followed along.

  
  
  


It was a slow paced match, usually the style that Bloodhound would prefer. Obviously, He was not someone of the same interests. He couldn't keep silent, they enjoyed hearing him speak carelessly, but it was a distraction. He had walked into a trap.

"Whoah, that hurt!" Elliott spasmed with current, it was team Wattson -13. Guns blared, mirage pulled out a couple of his decoys, he used a Mastiff. Bloodhound found a clear window, they knew where the opposing team had positioned. Wraith was down, only one more! The place was well secured, they could hear the zapping of electricity. Bloodhound felt a sting in their right arm, how had they not noticed? They fell not moments later, Wattson was reviving her teammate,  _ just one more _ . Elliott came in through a dent in the roof, Bloodhound sighed in relief, they could feel the sparks flowing throughout their body, in veins and down limbs. The fight was over, an announcement,  _ the kill leader has been eliminated _ .

"Hold on, I've got you." Bloodhound could feel the pressure from a needle inside of their chest, they could feel an arm wrapped tightly around their shoulder, they could feel the comfort beneath a cover of Elliott. This was only a break.

They healed up, stole fresh shields from boxes after paying respects. The flattering  _ you're welcome' _ they had gotten from Mirage soothed enough else, perhaps it wouldn't matter if the team won. That was the wrong spirit, with the power of the gods, they could do this.

  
  


"Ten teams left, we've got this in the box!  _ Bag?  _ We're winning this!" He seemed to like pressing buttons, but not in the same way as Octane. He shot expressions, made unnecessary jokes, touched Bloodhound whenever possible, whistled approvals towards any ideas. There were four teams left, where had their time gone?

The last eight enemies fought, Bloodhound could sense the nervousness from their teammate's stance, they wanted to soothe him, that would be risky. They got involved in the fights, bloodshed and missiles, the smell of gunfire and smoke, an overwhelming feeling. The fight was over, they had won.

  
  


Bloodhound stood, they paid respects to the fallen teams of the battlefield. Mirage was Ecstatic, which filled them with the same sense of excitement, with winning came more paparazzi and the ability to walk back to the dropship instead of waking up inside of the hospital. Elliott walked with his arm around their shoulder, nobody commented.

They got pulled apart for interviews.

  
  
  


-

  
  
  


It was nighttime. After a day of praise from other members, Bloodhound had settled down for a mug of brew. They wore sleepwear, a light tunic with fur cloths feeling soft against burnt muscles and residual from the fight. A cleaner mask, cream and with clear goggles instead of Technical software. They heard approaching footsteps before looking up, they pulled their mask back down over their chin.

"Bloodhound," it was Elliott, who else could they expect.

"What?" 

He hesitated, they leaned against the frame of the chair, it creaked, Artur sat on their shoulder.

"Good fight, couldn't've don't it without you."

It was, Bloodhound had felt good after a win. They wanted to do many things when the announcement came, like swoop him up in their arms.

"We have both been blessed with a great win, you Fought well, friend."

  
  


Elliott caressed the side of their mask, cheek. Bloodhound wondered if he could feel the heat, could hear their heart beating inside of their throat, he let go as soon as it was on there and itched the back of his head. He seemed sincere, making a joke and brushing the incident off before pulling completely away. Bloodhound grasped his hand, perhaps this was the moment that they had been speculating since last season had ended. They felt weak, fearful in many ways, Elliott looked charmed. He smiled, sighed, what were they to do? Kiss like a couple in a bad poem, not for a long time. They both locked onto knowing eyes, instead of hesitation, this time it was bravery. Elliott squeezed their hand, kissing it, he walked off with a smile and an invitation, Bloodhound stood up and followed quietly.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, please leave kudos! I may make more in the future 🤔
> 
> (That's a joke, there are always more.)


End file.
